


Of Stolen Princes, Cosmic Cubes, and Happily Ever Afters

by LeftShark



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies)
Genre: Drax is a horse, Evil Yondu, F/M, Stockholm Syndrome, Tangled AU, lizard krag, seriously Yondu is the evil mom, this could also be crack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-11
Updated: 2016-04-10
Packaged: 2018-06-01 14:05:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6522880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeftShark/pseuds/LeftShark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tangled AU</p><p>The King and Queen of Spartax once had a son. An adorable baby boy with large green eyes and a very high spirit. He was the light of their lives. But everything changed the day their son was kidnapped.</p><p> </p><p>Peter Quill lived his whole life believing the world outside was a horrible place, that people would only want to use him for the power he possessed, and that all he had to keep him going was his dream of finally seeing the lights in the sky up close and personal.</p><p>He embarks on a long and exhausting journey with a thief by the name of Gamora, and finds out the horrible truth about the pirate Yondu Udonta, who raised him.</p><p> </p><p>[[ ft.<br/>Peter as Rapunzel<br/>Yondu as Mother Gothel<br/>Gamora as Flynn Rider<br/>Kraglin as Pascal<br/>And many more!]]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all will either hate me or love me for this.
> 
> This shit took like 44 hours on and off to write. It's the most I've ever written.
> 
> All mistakes are mine! I tried to edit this as best as possible!!!  
> PLEASE READ THE NOTES AT THE END OF THE STORY WHEN YOURE DONE READING IT!

Long ago, there was a seed.

Small, white, but the seed contained power only few people could ever actually dream of.

It could heal the wounded, rejuvenate the sick, and re-grow plant life, no matter how badly wilted.

It was called the Cosmic Seed.

Although it was a gift to the universe, it was very dangerous.

If the seed's power was exposed for too long, it could destroy an entire planet with over growth and over healing.

To keep everyone safe, King J'son of Spartax built a cryptocube to keep it contained.

It sat locked away for years, never planned to be used.

But, when the king's wife, Queen Meredith, was close to birthing their child and next heir to the throne, she fell ill.

With no luck finding a cure for her illness, King J'son turned to the cosmic seed.

He used it's power to heal her.

Fearing he might need it again for later use, he attempted to encrypt the cube with both his and his wife's DNA, so they could be the only ones to open it.

This was a mistake. The cube fused both of their DNA samples together.

The only person who would be allowed to open it would be their child, seeing as the child would have both of their DNA mixed together, matching the code of the cube.

A few weeks later, the Queen gave birth to a small child. A prince. The future king of Spartax.

To celebrate his birth, the king and queen launched a large, red flare in to the sky.

 

A gift was bestowed upon the child; one almost as powerful as the cosmic seed. An orb containing a powerful infinity gem. The stone was to be placed on the prince's crown when the day came that it would be his turn to take place as King.

Until then, the orb was locked away along side the cube.

 

Many had tried, and failed, at getting their hands on the cube, but only one was ever successful.

A pirate by the name of Yondu Udonta.

He'd wanted nothing more than to use the cube for evil. First he planned to sell it, then, upon discovering that it could heal any wound and keep him practically immortal, he decided to keep it for himself. Being a pirate, he often found himself in bloody, wounded situations, and the seed could keep anyone from ending his life, or giving him fatal blows.

But, the cube needed the prince to activate it.

So, along with the cube, Yondu kidnapped the prince.

He kept the boy locked up, away from the rest of the galaxy, inside a large ship that remained hidden in the deep forests between the mountains of Spartax.

The King and Queen were pained by the loss of their son.

In remembrance, the entire kingdom released flares in to the night sky on the night of the prince's birthday, although there was a tiny sliver of hope that one day, the little prince would look in to the night sky, see the flares, and find his way home.


	2. The Story

Peter Quill awoke to the sun shining through one of the few windows in his small room. He sat up, stretched his sore limbs, and began to mentally write out his checklist for the day.

Sweep the floors  
Do other chores  
Make sure nothing is out of place when Yondu returns.

Easy enough. He followed the same list every morning.

The young man stood, grabbing the long red coat he usually wore off the floor and tugging it on to warm him from the chill of the ship's interior.

"Goodmorning, Kraglin," Peter grinned, reaching with a finger to pet the tiny creature on top of the head. "My favorite lizard friend."

The small creature opened and eye and trilled.

"You have to get up," Peter scooped up the iguana and placed it on his shoulder. "We have chores to do before Yondu gets back!"

The lizard squeaked and squawked at him.

"Well...what do you wanna do then?"

Peter had already made it down the short staircase that hugged the back wall of the room and was standing near the window.

Using his tail for balance, Kragin leaped on to the nearest windowsill and pointed outside with his tail.

"No!" Peter scooped the iguana back into his hands. "Im not going inside! I...I like it in here. Aaaand, you do to! We both like it inside, where we could be nice and safe!"

Kraglin sighed, but did nothing else.

"Okay," Peter smiled and opened the closet, pulling out a broom and some other supplies. "Gotta get cleaning!"

Quickly, he began to sweep the floor, despite it not being dusty, and began to sing.

"I can't stop this feeling, deep inside of me!"

The song was one of few that Peter had on a small tape that rested in his pocket. The tape would normally be inside a player, but the player had broken (again) a few days ago.

Since Peter cleaned every single day, and never really did much more than sit around and look out the window, paint on the walls, or sketch a few pictures, the place was clean in minuets.

"I'm hooked on a feeling..." He sang softly, leaning on the windowsill and looking out the window. His voice trailed off as Kraglin hopped up beside him, sitting down and resting his head on Peter's arm.

 

 

 

 

Far away from the hidden home of Peter Quill, a robbery was about to take place.

Gamora, a thief and former daughter of the mad titan Thanos, admired the sight of the king's palace.

"I wish I had a castle," she said to her two counterparts. "Could you imagine me in a castle? Because I could."

"Do you want to get us caught?" Whispered Rocket, one of the three thieves.

"We aren't gonna get caught, relax," she smirked and reached out to ruffle Rocket's fur, just to piss him off.

"I am Groot," the third one of them said quietly.

"Groot's right. We gotta hurry up with this. So let's go over the plan one more time." Rocket ordered.

"We get up on the roof, you two lower me in to the room, and I snag the orb. We take it to the collector, get 4 billion units, and split it between the three of us." Gamora explained. 

"This is risky," Rocket said, "This orb better be worth 4 billion units or I'll skin you alive."

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before." She stood up, sneakily making her way toward the castle with the other two following her. "I really love this view."

"Well when we get though with this job, you can get your own castle!" Rocket growled, following Gamora up the side of the building and across the colored rooftops.

Groot tried a rope around Gamora's waist.

"Don't get cocky," Rocket warned before they lowered her in through a hole in the roof.

The guards that stood watch in front of the orb had no idea what was going on behind them as Gamora pocketed the orb in a brown satchel that she brought along with her.

One of the guards sneezed.

"Oh, sounds like you might be coming down with something," Gamora stated.

"Yeah," the guard replied. He did a quick double take when he realized there was an intruder, but Rocket and Groot were already pulling Gamora through the roof.

"Get them!" The lead guard, a woman by the name of Victoria, shouted. The guards dispersed to gather their weapons and horses. Victoria mounted a large blue horse with red markings, a scowl on her face. Her team had been hunting down Gamora for ages, she wasn't gonna get away this time!

"Go onward, Draximus," Victora dug her heel into the horses side and the horse sprinted out the nearest doors. "That way!"

"Can't you picture me in a castle of my own?" Gamora grinned, running faster than she'd ever run in her life. "Cuz I certainly can! Just look at all the things we've seen and it's only eight in the morning!"

 

 

 

"Kraglin...tomorrow is my birthday. I know what I'm gonna ask for...I-I'm finally gonna do it! I'm gonna ask Yondu if I can go outside!"

He rested his chin on his hand.

"It seem's crazy, I know, but maybe-- just maybe-- he'll say yes!" He petted the lizard's head. "Tomorrow night is also when the red lights appear in the sky...It happens every year on my birthday. It's...it's like they're there just for me."

 

Peter didn't realize he was being shouted at until Kraglin barked and nudged his arm.

"Boy, if you don't quit foolin around and let me up--"

"Yondu!" Peter scrambled to get the drop-down ladder and toss it over the edge of the window.

The blue skinned pirate was slow climbing up the ladder and Peter frowned and looked down in worry. "Yondu are you okay?"

Yondu shoved him out of the way to crawl through the window, one hand pressed against his side. He might've gotten cut or stabbed, Peter was unable to tell. Still, he did not hesitate to hug Yondu tightly.

"Yondu, did you know that--"

"Save it, boy. Get me somethin' to drink. My throat's dry."

Peter rushed to get a glass of water, bringing it back to Yondu. "Tomorrow is--"

"Uh-huh, Petey," Yondu patted his head roughly, but it was a degrading gesture rather than a comforting one.

"We'll it's--"

"Peter. Get your box."

Peter let out a frustrated sigh and looked at where Yondu and moved his hand to check on his wound. Blood stuck to the clothes in a large red stain. It must've been bleeding this entire time.

As ordered, Peter retrieved the cryptocube. He activated it and shoved it in to Yondu's hands so fast, Yondu felt a jolt of electricity emit from the cube and shock him. "So tomorrow--"

"Fuckin--be careful," he growled, holding the glowing cube and letting it's power close his wound.

"Okay, I'm sorry!" Peter snatched the cube back and put it back in his room, then sped back down to stand in front of Yondu. "I tried to tell you but you aren't really listening, just listen!My birthday's tomorrow," he blurted, a nervous smile appeared on his face.

"No...no, it can't be. Your birthday was last year. You already had a birthday. Way too many." Yondu blew him off, going to sit in his chair.

"Yondu, my birthday is every year...always...Well, I know what I want!"

"So..?"

"Well, I, uh...well," Peter began to mumble.

"Speak up, boy. I can't hear a damn thing you're saying!"

"I, uh, I want to go outside. That's what I want," Peter leaned on the windowsill.

"You want to go outside?" Yondu got up and pulled Peter away from the window. "Hell no."

"Oh..."

"You're so weak. And pathetic." Yondu nudged Peter's chin with a knuckle. Peter turned his face away. "You ain't gonna last an hour out there."

"I just want to have a look around..."

"I shoulda expected this," Yondu shut the window. "You're gettin rebellious, Petey. Ya wanna get outta here, I get that. But it ain't happening anytime soon."

"But--"

"Trust me, Pete. I know what's best."

Peter, disheartened, looked down at his bare feet.

"You'd never survive. You're too sloppy, too clumsy, and immature. You'd get eaten alive, Pete. There's all kinds of thugs."

"But you're a thug--"

"Monsters, and beast with big teeth. Bad guys, killers-- you'd get stuck in a pit of quicksand and be swallowed in to the pits of the planet!"

Peter looked up again, but Yondu was not in front of him anymore. He quickly glanced around the room and noticed that it was getting darker and darker with each thing that Yondu had mentioned.

"Where are you!?" He cried out.

The only source of light was coming from a small hole in the top of the ship.

"I'm right here," Yondu said, stepping in to the small pool of light. The way the light just barely hit his face made him look all the more evil, but that didn't stop Peter from sprinting forward and hugging Yondu tightly. "Just remember, kid...you'd probably end up dead by the next day."

"I don't want to go outside anymore," Peter sniffled, clinging to Yondu. "I don't want to die. I'll just...I'll just stay here."

"Good. 'M leaving again. Stay. Here."

"I'll stay," Peter sighed..."I'll be here..."

 

 

 

 

 

"What is this trash?" Gamora ripped down a poster that was nailed to a nearby tree. "This does not look like me!"

"I mean, they made you look grouchy and annoying, so I'd say they got it right," Rocket shrugged.

"Shut up! All they had to do for you is draw a ball of fuzz and put angry eyes on it!" She shot back, crumpling up the piece of paper and stuffing it in the satchel.

The sound of guards nearby cause them to look at each other briefly, then continue to run directly into the forest.

"Stop right there!" Victoria shouted pointing in Gamora's direction.

Gamora picked up the speed, leading them all in to a dead end.

"What the hell do we do!?"

"I am Groot!?"

"Calm down, both of you...Give me a boost and then I'll help you up!" Gamora stepped closer to the rock wall in front of them.

"Not so fast, gives us the satchel first, Gamora!"

"I cannot belive after all that we've been through together, you wouldn't trust me!? Ouch!" She handed over the satchel, then climbed on to Groot's shoulders. The tree stretched as far as he could, but Gamora still had to jump to make it on to the raised ground above.

"Now help us up!" Rocket shouted.

"Well..." Gamora held up the satchel with a mocking smile. "Sorry, my hands are full!"

"Get to higher ground and go after her!" Victoria shouted, steering her horse out of the dead end to find a way around.

Gamora weaved her way through the forest with ease, leaping over bushes and diving through tree branches.

"We've got her now!" Victoria cheered as Gamora fled up a tree. Just as Victoria got close enough, Gamora jumped down, kicking Victoria in the chest and taking her seat on the horse, facing backwards to watch her and all the other guards watch on in astonishment. She waved goodbye before flipping herself around.

The horse suddenly planted his feet firmly in to the ground, causing Gamora to go flying forward, satchel in tow.

All she saw was the depth of the gorge below her before she shut her eyes and prepared to fall to her death.

She never fell.

She opened her eyes to find that her shirt had been caught on the branch of a tree that was growing out of the side of the gorge, as did the satchel. She pulled her self on to the tree's trunk and glanced up, seeing the blue and red horse glaring down at her.

"Catch me, pig!" She taunted, not at all expecting the horse to actually jump down.

The weight was too much for the old tree. And it snapped in half, sending both of them falling, screeching in terror. Gamora readied herself, preparing to roll once she hit the ground. The grass below provided a somewhat soft landing, and she was able to spring back up and hide in the cover of a thick curtain of lichen as the horse immediately began to sniff her out. She turned around, discovering that she had stumbled upon to the entrance to a tunnel, and quickly booked it before the horse could realize she was hiding close by. She didn't care where she was running as long as she got away. Once out of the tunnel, her eyes landed on what seemed to be a large, abandoned ship. With one final glance over her shoulder, she dashed forward and used her knives to help her scale up the side of the building and in through the window.

"Alone at last," she huffed, leaning against the wall.

She heard a scream, and got a quick glimpse of a young man before being knocked out cold.

 

"Do you think she's a witch like Yondu said?" The man had referred to girls as witches once. ("You can't go outside, Peter. The men are savages, and the women are nothing but mean ol' witches!")

Kraglin shrugged.

Peter used the end of his blaster to push Gamora's hair out of her face.

"Whoa...she doesn't look like a witch at all! She's...beautiful." But he couldn't be so sure. He'd never seen a witch or a regular woman before, he didn't know how to tell the difference. "Umm, uh..."

His best bet was to shove her in the closet. Which he was finally able to do after many attempts (He really was weak like Yondu had said.)

"Okay," Peter sighed. "I have a person in my closet...I have a person...in my closet. I have a person in my closet! Ahaha! Too weak to handle myself, Yondu says!" He held up his blaster proudly. "Tell that to my bla--ow!" He'd hit himself with it.

He didn't even know why he had a gun. He didn't know how to use it properly and it didn't seem to have any anmo, but it was really good to hit people over the head with...

"What's that?" He looked down at the brown bag Gamora had dropped. Curiously, he opened it up and pulled out the orb. "What the heck is this this thing?"

He tried to bite it. "It's not food."

He tried to bounce it. "It's not a toy, either."

 

 

By the time Yondu had returned, Peter had given up on trying to figure out what it was and had hidden the bag and orb.

"Peter, gimme the ladder! You won't believe what I got today, boy!"

"You won't believe what I've got, either!" Peter unrolled the ladder and watched Yondu climb up.

"I stole a block of pure, solid gold," Yondu said proudly. He placed the block in Peter's hand. "Go put that with all my other gold."

Peter did as he was told, then returned. "I was thinking about what you told me earlier..."

"I hope you ain't talking about the stupid birthday thing?"

"Yeah, and the flashing red lights, I'm leading up to that..."

"Cuz I really thought we dropped this already, Pete."

"N-no, I'm just saying, you think I'm not strong enough to handle myself out there--"

"You ain't. I know it."

"But if you just--"

"Hush, boy."

"But- I'm just saying," Peter prepared to open the closet.

"You aren't going outside," Yondu snapped, annoyed with Peter. "Not now! Not ever! You'll die in this ship before you ever set foot on the ground out there!"

Peter looked down.

"All I was gonna say is that I know what I want for my birthday now."

"And?"

"My walkman broke...I want it to be fixed. I want my music."

"You broke it again? Do you remember how long it'll take me to get it fixed last time!?"

"Three days..."

"Three days! That's a three day trip!"

"I know." Peter sighed. "I just...thought it was a better idea than going outside."

Yondu sighed. "If that's what you really want, boy."

 

 

With Yondu gone for three days, this left Peter the perfect amount of time to question Gamora.

He opened the closet, tied her up, and shook her awake, forcing her to come to.

 

Gamora struggled to break free immediately.

"Strug–struggling is pointless!" Peter said, stuttering.

"What?"

"I know why you're here and I ain't afraid of you!"

"...what?"

"I said, I know why you're here and I ain't afraid you you, witch! Who are you and how did you find me!?"

"I don't know who you are, or how I found you, but...hi loser, I'm Gamora, you look like an idiot."

"Who else knows of my location, Gamora!?" Peter pointed his blaster at her. Kraglin was perched on the very end of it.

"Look, fool--"

"Star-Lord!"

"Um...bless you?"

"No, my name is Star-Lord! Now tell me why you're here!"

"Your name is star-lord? I don't believe that."

"Okay, you got me. My name's Peter...now tell me!"

"Look, I was being chased, I ran here, saw the ship, and climbed in it! That's literally it! Hey...where's my bag!?"

"I've hidden it somewhere you'll never find it!"

Gamora looked around. "It's in that box, isn't it?"

Peter looked at the box, then at Gamora. He swung the blaster and hit her, knocking her out again.

 

When she came to minuets later, Peter was smirking. "Now I've hidden it somewhere you'll never find it!"

 

"What?"

"Your bag is hidden and you'll never get it back! Now tell me, what do you want with me and my cube!?"

"Your cube..?"

"Yes, tell me!"

"The only thing I want with you is to get away from you!" Gamora snarled.

"You mean...You don't want my cube, or me?"

"Why the hell would I want your cube!? Look, I was being chased and I hid here, I already told you!"

 

Peter turned away from her, holding the gun up so he could look face to face with his iguana. "Do you think she's telling the truth?"

Kraglin squeaked.

"I know, but...I need someone to take me there. I don't want to get lost..."

Kraglin made more lizard sounds, glancing at Gamora.

"I think she's telling the truth, too...yeah...okay..."

 

"Okay, Gamora," Peter turned around to face her again. "I'll offer you a deal..."

"Deal?"

Peter spun the chair Gamora was bound to around, so she could gaze up at a painting Peter had done on a large section of the wall. Mural of the flares.

"Oh, those flare things they do for the prince?"

"Flares! I knew they weren't stars! Well...tomorrow, they're gonna launch the flares in to the sky again. You're gonna take me to see them, then bring me home safely! And THEN you'll get your bag and ball back!"

"Yeah, no. The king and I aren't on the best of Terms. I'm not taking you with me anywhere," she scoffed.

"Something brought you here to me, Gamora! Maybe it was fate or destiny!"

"It was a horse."

"And I have made the decision to trust you!"

"That's a bad decision."

"Well, look, pal. You can tear this ship apart piece by piece but you'll never find your bag!"

"Right. So, if I take you to see the flares then bring you back here, you'll give me back what's mine and I can go?"

"Yes."

Gamora thought long and hard.

"Fine," she huffed. "I'll take you to see your stupid lights."

"Yay!" Peter cheered, hugging Gamora tightly.

"Get off!" Gamora shoved Peter off her and went to the window, climbing out of it. She dug her knives in to the ship's side, using them to help her descend. Peter stayed looking out the window. "Are you coming, or what?!"

"We're going outside, Kraglin," Peter grinned, placing the lizard on his shoulder. "It's like I've always daydreamed!"

Peter began humming the tunes to one of his tape's songs, climbing out the window and following Gamora's lead. The cube was tucked away in his pocket.

"Freak out in a Moonage daydream, ah yeah," he sang softly, but stopped abruptly, just before he touched the ground.

"Im really about to do this..." He set one of his bare feet down on the grass.

"I'm really doing this! I can't believe I'm doing this!" He let go of the wall and ran circles around Gamora.

"Yondu would be so pissed right now!" Peter gasped. "But...it's okay? What he doesn't know can't hurt him, right!?"

Peter gripped Gamora's arm. "Okay, okay, let's go, take me!"

"This way," she was finally able to get a word in, pulling Peter in the direction of the tunnel she entered the area through. "First we have to make a quick stop somewhere."

"Where?"

"With some old friends."

"You have friends?" Peter asked. "I've never had a friend in my life! Wow!"

 

 

Yondu grumbled as he walked, hands jammed in his pockets.

Stupid Peter, out there making him fix the stupid plastic tape player. If Yondu didn't need Peter, he'd kill him.

"What the fuck...?" Yondu squinted as he spotted a horse in the distance.

The creature was harnessed with fancy ropes.

"Eugh. A palace horse. Where the hell's your rider?" A sudden realization hit him. If the horseman was wandering the forest, they could find Peter. "Fuck!"

He turned the way he came, rushing back to the ship where Peter should've been locked away.

"Boy? Toss the me ladder!"

There was no response.

"Fuck!" Yondu ran around to the back of the ship, prying open the hidden ramp with his bare hands before hauling ass up to the highest room of the ship. "Peter!"

There's an unfamiliar bag poorly hidden underneath one of the stairs. Yondu snatched it up, yanking it open and pulling out the orb and a crumpled piece of paper. He unrolled it to reveal a wanted poster. It had the face of a well known thief plastered on it. 

 

 

 

"We're close by. Stop asking when we'll get there," Gamora hissed, elbowing Peter in the ribs.

"But it's taking long to get there!"

"We're here already," She grabbed Peter and shoved him in the direction of the building ahead of them. "Now, these guys are Ravagers. They play dirty and aren't so nice if you bump in to one of them by accident. Just stick close to me."

"Stick close, right, I got it," he grabbed her sleeve. "Let's go."

Gamora immediately headed for a bar seat, Peter sitting down next to her.

"Get me one of the strongest drinks you have. I've had a rough morning. And then we need to talk."

The man behind the counter gave her what she wanted, and she slid a few credit chips over to him. She lifted the glass to her lips, waking it all in one long drink. The glass made a 'clink' as she set it down.

 

"I need you to tell me how to get a speeder out on to the lake in front of the palace without being noticed. I'm a wanted woman, I can't risk being seen..."

"Well, you'll have to go around through the back. Start at the small creek that runs south..."

Peter looked around, not paying attention to the conversation. There were all kinds of men and a few women. They were like a giant biker gang of thieves, all marked up with tattoos and scars, wearing red coats similar to his own.

"Actually," one of the Ravagers stood up, stalking over. "She's wanted."

"We know. We're all wanted."

"But have you seen the reward?" He lifted a paper, a poster with Gamora's smirking face plaster on the front. She facepalmed.

"With that kind of money, we could split it between all of us and still each have some to last a lifetime!" Someone shouted.

"Yeah, hey, let's get her!"

"I'll go notify the Royal guards! Don't let her leave this place!"

"Wait! Wait!" Peter stood in front of Gamora. Kraglin crawled down his shirt to hide. "You can't have her! Not yet! She's helping me! I--I have to get away from here! She's my guide!"

He spread his arms out wide to keep them away.

"Haven't any of you ever had a dream that you want to come true!?" He asked, pleading.

The Ravagers stopped on their tracks, thinking about it.

"No. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Someone shouted.

"Yeah, we just wanna kill people and steal things!"

The Ravagers began to riot.

"That's our cue to leave, Peter," Gamora stood up.

"I FOUND THE GUARDS!" 

Gamora leaped over the counter, bringing Peter with her and ducking behind it as all hell began to break loose in the building.

"Ronan, get us out of here!" She whispered to the bartender.

He opened a secret trap door which had an escape tunnel. "You owe me Gamora. Big time. Don't forget it."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. C'mon, Peter!" She tugged him along, giving Ronan a salute as the royal guards barged in to the building.

"Find them," Victoria ordered.

 

 

 

Gamora ran as fast as she could, dragging Peter and never once stopping until they were far away from the building and hopefully out of sight.

Peter looked around seeing that they were in another dead end. The only thing that seemed of any use was a cave that went deep in to the wall of the cavern, and the only possible way in was to climb a tree that had fallen leaning against the rock wall. But the tree was not tall enough to reach the cave. And Peter wasn't sure he could jump the distance between the top of the tree and the cave. He reached in to the back of his shirt and pulled Kraglin free. "That was close, wasn't it, buddy?" The iguana nodded.

"There they are, get them!" A voice shouted.

"Oh no," Peter looked around, as did Gamora. "They found us! They're gonna kill us!"

A party of guards surged forward, all on their horses.

Peter thought for a moment, then whipped out the blaster that he had strapped to his side the entire time.

"Back away or I'll use this!" He held the gun up, trying his best to look like he knew what he was doing. He'd never even fired a gun in his life.

He wasn't even sure where he got this from. But it had the same circular markings as his 'boom box' (cryptocube), so he figured it had to be his.

"I'm being serious!" He shouted. He aimed his gun directly at Victoria. "Come any closer and I'll shoot her! Right in the head!"

One of the guards took a step.

Peter pulled the trigger, but instead of a blast emitting from the gun, a stream of fire shot out, as if he was holding a flame thrower.

The grass in front of him caught flame and he quickly jumped back to avoid getting burned as a wall of fire began to separate he and Gamora from the guards.

The fire was growing, eating everything in it's path, and he backed up as far as he could.

If they didn't get out of here, he'd be burned alive.

Fire was dangerous, especially in a forest.

"There's no way out of here," Gamora stated, eyes wide. "We're going to die."

"This was a horrible idea!" He told Gamora, though he was unable to look at anything but the flames. "I-I never should have left!"

"I'm the daughter of the Mad Titian," Gamora blurted suddenly.

"What!?"

"It's a secret I've kept from the majority of people." Being tied with Thanos was not something Gamora wanted. Peter had heard tales of Thanos (they were all from Yondu, granted, but that didn't make them less scary.) He was a true beast. His sole purpose was to cause chaos and destruction. He could take what he wanted when he wanted. Everyone was scared of him. Even Yondu.

"I have a little boom box that can do magic things!" Peter said in response. "Hey...I have a box that can do magic things!" He pulled the cube from his pocket and grabbed Gamora's arm, pulling her over to the tree trunk that rested against the stone wall.

He activated the cube, then touched it to the tree.

The rotting wood began to glow gold and grow, stretching the top of the tree several feet longer and causing leaves and flowers to sprout. The distance between the top of the tree and the cave was now easier to navigate.

"Up the tree!" Peter pointed. "Climb!"

He hauled himself up, Gamora right behind him.

"The tree's slippery!" She shouted, digging her finger tips against the bark as she slid down several inches, cutting her palm in the process.

"Just c'mon, hurry!" Peter pulled himself inside the cave, seeing that it stretched on really far, but there was a light at the end. "It's a tunnel!" He began to run toward the light.

"Why are there so many dead ends and tunnels in this forest!? It's unrealistic!" She exclaimed as she caught up to him.

Upon coming closer to the end of the tunnel, Peter could see that there was water down below. Without thinking, he placed and hand on Kraglin to secure him to his shoulder, then leaped out of the tunnel and down to the water below. Gamora dived after him.

She hooked an arm around Peter's waist and pulled them both to the surface.

"How did you know I couldn't swim?" Peter gasped, sucking in as much air as his lungs could allow as Gamora used her other arm to paddle them to the pebbly river bank.

"First of all, that is a really deep river. Second, you've never set foot outside of your ship at all, how would you know how to swim!?"

"You're right," Peter nodded, pulling himself completely out of the water and setting Kraglin down in the grass. Surprisingly, he had not fallen off of Peter's shoulder.

"Of course I'm right...and please tell your ugly little frog to stop staring at me!"

"He's an iguana! Not a frog!"

 

 

 

 

"If we ever run in to that no good sack of scum Gamora again, I'll kill her myself," Rocket griped, picking leaves from his fur.

"I am Groot."

"Yes, you can help. How dare she just betray us like that! She stole our stolen stuff!"

"My, my, gentlemen. You two seem to be stuck in a rut."

Both of the criminals looked up to see Yondu standing on a nearby rock, arms crossed and a smirk on his face. He held out the satchel with one hand. Rocket drew his gun.

"There ain't no need for weapons. Let's settle this like civilized men." Yondu chucked the bag at Rocket. "You wanted it, you got it. Now ya can scram...unless."

"We ain't buyin none of what you're trying to sell us, pal," Rocket picked up the bag. "Me an' Groot are gonna go get rich!"

"Well, I was gonna offer ya a deal worth a thousand crowns. And that ain't even the best part," Yondu turned away."

"I am Groot!"

"Yeah; what's the 'best Part'? Spill it!" Rocket's tail was fluffed up in anger. How dare this guy try to offer them a deal and then not tell them what it was!

"The best part is that you can get revenge on that petty little she-devil," Yondu snarled. "In fact, you could kill her!"

Rocket looked at Groot, then   
back at Yondu. "Tell us more."

 

Meanwhile, Gamora and Peter were drying off from their wet adventure. "So you're saying your cube can fix my hand?"

"Yup," Peter nodded. "Gimme your hand." He reached across and picked her hand up, placing the cube in her injured Palm. He touched to top of the cube, activating it, and letting it heal her wound.

"That's weird," she said, inspecting her now perfectly fine hand.

"I guess it is," Peter shrugged. "But what's even more weird is that my gun is actually a flame thrower...I thought it was just a regular gun..."

"I've never seen anything like it in my life," Gamora admitted. Sitting back on the soft grass and dirt. Finally, they could rest without almost being killed. "I've only ever heard of a gun that can shoot fire, but supposedly it belongs to the Royal family. Only they can use it."

"It's getting dark," Peter said, scooting closer to Gamora.

"We should probably get a fire started...Maybe you could use your gun? Save us some time?"

Peter looked down at his weapon. "Uh, yeah. Let me just..." He stood up and aimed his gun at the pile of wood and pulled the trigger. Ice came from the gun, freezing the wood over.

"What the hell?"

"Uh? I thought this gun was a flame thrower!?" Peter tried again, but this time, water came flooding out of the gun. "I'm so confused?!" Peter pulled the trigger a third time, and mud spilled out of the barrel. "What's happening!?"

"While you fix that, I'm gonna go get some more wood...you ruined ours."

"It wasn't me! It's the gun! It's being weird!"

"I never thought she'd leave."

Peter jumped, dropping the gun. "Yondu!"

"That's me."

"B-but! I--How did you find me!?"

"I listened for the sound of utter betrayal and followed that."

"Yondu..."

"We're leaving, Pete."

"But...Yondu! You don't understand, man! I've been on this insane journey with this girl--"

"The thief. I know. I'd be proud if you weren't such a fuck up, Pete, really."

"But she likes me..."

"Likes you, boy? Is that what you really think? You think you know better than I do, dont you!?" Yondu sounded angrier than usual. "You know what I think!? She's turning you soft. In here," Yondu jammed his fist in to Peter's chest. "You really think she likes you, boyo? She's just usin ya!"

"No!"

"All she wants is this!" Yondu held up the bag, which had been a major source of trouble. He pulled the orb out. "She only wants this thing back! Just go ahead, give it to her," Yondu pitched the orb, making sure it hit Peter hard in the chest.

"I will!"

"She'll leave ya behind in an instant! You'll wish ya had listened to me!"

 

"No!" Peter shook his head.

"You will," Yondu turned away.

"I wont!" Peter wanted to scream back, but it came out as a pathetic whine. "I hate you!"

Yondu was gone, leaving Peter with the orb and bag.

"So," Gamora said as she returned. "Hey...are you alright? Peter?"

"I'm fine," Peter lied, pocketing the orb and hiding the bag in one of the flaps of his large coat before turning back to her and forcing a smile.

"If you say so, Peter."

 

 

When Gamora opened her eyes the next morning, she was staring in to the face of an angry blue and red horse.

"You better be here to say sorry," she huffed, laying her head back down to go back to sleep. The horse chuffed and grabbed her foot, shaking her awake wildly.

"Oh my god!" Peter sat up, quickly running the sleep out of his eyes. "Gamora, you got me a pony!? Wow!"

"I didn't bring him here, he found me." She sighed. "And he probably wants to stomp my face in."

"That's not nice!" Peter said, pouting at the horse. "But he is really cute...and soft..." He reached a hand out, petting the horse's blue fur.

Although Draximus wanted to cave in to the feeling and allow himself to be petted, he continued to glare at Gamora.

"You must be really tired from chasing her around all day, isn't that right..." He glanced at the collar on the horse, "Draximus? Drax...I like Drax better. Let's just call you Drax."

The horse nodded, giving in and nuzzling Peter's hand.

"Well today is the biggest day of my entire life, and I need you to not try to kill her, or get her arrested, okay? And then after that you can run and chase each other to an entirely new galaxy, okay?"

 

Gamora smirked and offered her hand to the horse.

Drax snorted and looked away.

"It's also my birthday..."

Drax sighed, nodded in agreement.

"Now, can you show us the way to the city?"

 

Peter stared in awe at everything. There were so many people and all kinds of food and music. Children ran around playing, some people had their pets with them. The majority of the Spartoi people were pink like Peter. Other inhabitants of the planet were blue, orange, some green, some brown. Pete that never seen so many people together at once. Many of them were gathered around a large sculpture of the King and Queen. In the Queen's arms was a baby. The people placed flowers, cards, and pieces of art around the statue.

"It's a festival they do to honor the lost Prince," Gamora informed him. "It happens every year."

"For how long?"

"Since he disappeared."

"His parents must have been very upset..."

"Yeah," Gamora shrugged.

Nearby, a street musician was playing music.

"Let's dance!" Peter said, turning to Gamora and taking her hand.

"I don't dance," she shook her head. "I know what men want by asking to dance and I will not succumb to the pelvic sorcery used against me!"

Peter ignored her, pulling her to an open space and talking both of her hands, so he could make her dance with him. "Dancing is fun! I dance all the time! You'll love it!"

Peter would probably die before he ever got another chance like this one, Gamora realized, and she changed her entire attitude. She humored him, and vowed to make this the best day that Peter would ever have.

"Dance with me," he prompted. And she followed in line with him.

 

By the time the sun was due to set, Peter was exhausted, but he was not going home until he saw the flares, up close and in person.

"Keep our coast clear, Drax," Gamora ordered, hopping in to the small speeder. Peter climbed in behind her, putting his arms around her waist to keep from falling off.  
Before taking off, she tossed a bag of fruits that she had bought in the horse's direction. "Those are for you."

"So where are we going?" Peter asked, resting his chin between her shoulderblades

"If it's the best day of your life, I figured you could enjoy the view from the best possible seat."

"I'm kind of...scared, Gamora."

When she reached the middle of the lake, she shut off the speeder and turned around to face Peter. "What are you so scared of?"

"What if...what if it's not as great as I always imagined it to be?"

"Well then it's gonna really a suck to be you."

"But what if it is everything I've ever dreamed of? What do I do then?"

"I don't know? Sit back? Relax? Enjoy it? Get a new dream?"

Pete was about to reply, but the first flare had been shot from the grounds of the castle. He gasped in awe. Several more began to follow suit, igniting the sky with red light all over.

"Peter."

Peter looked back at Gamora. She was holding two flare guns, one arm was outstretched to Peter.

"I have something for you too." He pulled the bag out from where he was hiding it. "I shouldn't have hidden this from you...but I was just scared...do you know what I mean?"

"Not at all," Gamora took the bag and set it down. "And I don't really care." She handed a gun to Peter. "Ready?"

"Should we count down from three?"

"Three."

"Two."

"One."

They shot their flares in to the sky to join the thousands of others that were already out there.

Peter tilted his head back to watch them go up, adding to the red light in the sky. It was like watching a firework, but without the boom. The light just faded in to a soft cloud of red smoke. He looked back at Gamora and smiled.

"I can't thank you enough for everything." He said softly. "You're really made me so happy, and I...you're..." He leaned in close to her, their lips lingering only millimeters apart.

Gamora spotted movement on the shore and squinted to see Rocket and Groot, her former allies, on the shore.

"What the..?" She pulled away, turned around, and sped back to the shore.

"Gamora?"

"Stay here, Peter. I'll be right back."

"Um...okay..."

Gamora took the bag and sped off to where she last saw Groot and Rocket.

"Guys, you can have the bag!"

Rocket stepped out of the shadows.

"I don't want it anymore!" She tossed it. It landed by his feet.

"We ain't so interested in the bag anymore, but we'll take it. But...we know you've got something more valuable...."

"What?"

"The boy...he's got a cube. It has power...and we know just how to get it from him." Rocket pulled the orb out of the bag and opened it up. "With this infinity gem, we could tear this entire kingdom apart. We could get the cube from him, and use it and this stone to wipe out ever--"  
Gamora kicked him, sending him in to a nearby tree and catching the orb as it fell, closing it.

"I had no idea this was in there. But I won't let you have it!" She turned and sprinted away from them all. She really had no idea an infinity stone was housed inside of the orb, or how Rocket knew. She had to get back in to the kingdom and return it to the King before something dangerous happened.

"Find the boy!" Rocket snarled at Groot as he stood up. "Get the cube. Then kill him!"

Finding him was easy. Peter had crawled off the speeder and was heading to look for Gamora.

"I am Groot," Groot growled, blocking Peter's way.

"W-who are you!? Leave me alone! Where's Gamora!"

"She's gone!" Rocket snarled. "She took the bag and orb and left you behind!"

"N-no! She wouldn't!"

"She did! She left you all alone, undefended and valuable! Get him, Groot!"

Peter ducked under Groot's arm and ran as fast as he could between the trees, ducking behind a rock for cover. He could hear what sounded like fighting, but didn't dare peek...until he heard a familiar whistle.

"Yondu?" Peter placed his hands on the large boulder and peered over it.

"I just saved your life, boy," Yondu said, standing over Groot and Rocket's passed out bodies.

Peter looked down, contemplating on whether or not to trust Yondu. The man had been a major dick to him his entire life...but this was the man that had raised Peter.

Peter rushed forward to hug Yondu tightly.

"You were right," he whispered, resting is head on Yondu's shoulder. "About everything."

"Of course I was. I'm always right," Yondu patted Peter's back condescendingly. "Now let's get out of here and get you back home."

"I...but..." Peter sighed, hard and heavy. "Okay."

 

 

Gamora was stopped as soon as she entered the grounds of the kingdom by none other than Victoria.

"Halt, thief!"

"Listen to me!" Gamora shouted. "I need your help! I need to speak to the king!"

"Cuff her," Victoria ordered. "Take her to meet her doom!"

"Please!"

"Silence, thief!"

"But this is important!"

"The only important thing is that we've caught you! And you will be hung for your crimes!"

"You can't do that!" Gamora tried to fight her way free, but the guards were too strong. "Let me go!"

She didn't stop struggling, even as she was dragged in to the small prison building. "Get off of me!"

"No can do. We've been hunting you down for years. You messed up big time by stealing the gem that belongs to the prince's crown."

She tried to bite the guard, but his armor protected him from the pain. Her eyes landed on Rocket and Groot jammed together in a cell.

As quickly as she could, she used her several years of training and skill to roundhouse kick the two guards who held her tightly and K.O. both of them. She used extreme force that she did not even know she possessed to break free of her chains and reach though the bars to grab Rocket by his jumpsuit and yank him forward. "How did you know about the cube!?"

"It was the blue pirate guy!" Rocket snapped, digging his claws in to her hands. "He told us!"

"Blue pirate guy...YONDU!" She dropped Rocket and turned around, sprinting out the nearest exit she could find. Peter was in trouble and she had to help.

 

Meanwhile, back at home, Peter sat on his bed in the dark, staring at the floor. He thought everything would have gone his way, just once in his life, but...it hadn't.

He laid back looking up at his ceiling decorated in several paintings.

"That's funny," he stated to himself. "I drew a sun in every one of those pictures, but I don't remember drawing them...and they kind of look like..." He pulled his cube out of his pocket, looking at the circular glowing symbol on the side. It looked like a sun. The same symbol was on his gun, too...

He remembered Gamora saying something about the royal family having a gun like his, but that it only worked with that blood line. From the description she gave, it seemed a lot like...his own gun. It was a gun that Yondu had said was broken, because it never worked. But it worked when Peter used it. And his cube, it only worked when Peter used it. Yondu couldn't get it to work, it didn't work when Gamora touched it...

"Oh my god!" Peter sat up, startling Kraglin, who was dozing off on the pillow.

"I'm the missing Prince!"

He stood up, yanking his door open and marching himself down to Yondu, gun in hand.

"You've been lying to me this whole time!"

"Peter--"

"You stole me from my family when I was a baby! You kept me here because you could use my cosmic cube's power, and I was the only one who could activate it! You ruined my life!"

"Peter!" Gamora climbed in through the window.

Yondu turned around. "You!" He unhooked an arrow from his belt and put her in a chokehold, holding it against her neck. "Make a move and she dies, Peter!"

"Let her go!"

Gamora elbowed Yondu, breaking free from her grip and attempting to kick him out the window. Yondu whistled, sending his arrow piercing through her side in an uneven path, cutting a large, jagged wound from her ribcage to her hip.

She stumbled, then hit the floor, gasping in pain.

"Get away from her!" Peter shouted.

Yondu smirked and stood over her.

"I said, get away from her!" He pulled the trigger on his gun, sending a ray of ice in Yondu's direction, freezing the man in a thick coat of ice. Peter activated his cube and chucked it at Yondu, causing the frozen structure to burst in to a million little pieces.

Peter rushed to Gamora's side. "You're hurt!"

"I'll be fine," she sat up. "I'm okay."

"But you're bleeding...it's all my fault!"

"It is," Gamora nodded. She looked down. There was more blood than she thought. It soaked through her clothes and began to puddle under her. Her green skin looked several shades lighter, and she realized that her vision was getting fuzzy. She blinked her eyes a few times. Her eyelids felt heavy. And it felt like a million years before she was able to get another breath of air in to her lungs.

"Gamora! Hey, stay awake," Peter picked her head up and placed it on his lap. "Don't fall asleep, Gammy...Gam..." Tears began to stream down his face.

She frowned, tried to say something, but no words came out.

"I can fix you," Peter said, picking up the cube with one hand and using the other to wipe away his tears. He placed the cube in her hands, then covered them with his own. The markings on the cube began to light up, giving off a warmth. "I can fix you, just hang on!"

Gamora could feel the energy traveling through her body and straight to the wound. Slowly, the wound began to stop bleeding and close itself up, looking as if nothing ever happened.

"You're okay, Gamora."

She sat up, placing a hand on either side of Peter's exhausted face. "Peter...you saved my life."

"I...I did. I...I like you Gamora...a lot..."

Slowly, he pressed their lips together. Their kiss was uninterrupted this time. They had all the time in the world...they could have stayed like this forever.

But Gamora pulled away. "You gotta go, Peter."

"Go? Go where?"

"Home...Your real home. In the palace with the King and Queen." She stood up, taking Peter's hand and pulling him up.

"How did you know?"

"I figured it out on my own. And...If we leave now, we could make it there by tomorrow morning."

"But it's night time...it's dark outside."

"Don't worry. I'll protect you...we'll be alright."

Peter looked out the window. The moon was casting enough light for them to travel without having to use lanterns.

"Alright," he nodded. "Let's go...home."

 

 

 

 

 

King J'son looked over himself in the mirror for what seemed to be the hundredth time that morning.

"You look fine," the Queen assured, bringing him his crown. He leaned down so she could place it on his head.

"But Meredith, my love...what if he does not like us? We have not seen our son in years. Although I have missed him since the day we lost him, I doubt he remembers us at all. We might as well be strangers to him."

"Everything is going to be alright," Queen Meredith replied, placing a hand on J'son's shoulder. "We're his parents. He loves us."

"You are right, my dear."

Outside the doors of the room, Gamora stood with Peter, who took in the sight of the kingdom from the balcony they were placed on.

"Are you nervous?" She held his hand.

"I...yes. I don't know what I should say or do...what if they don't like me, Gamora?"

"They're your parents. They've missed you since they day you went missing."

Peter hugged her tightly. "I owe you so much. I owe you everything, Gamora. You've brought me on this wild adventure...you helped me find my real family...I owe you the whole universe."

"Oh, Peter...I already have everything I want, right here in my arms."

The doors opened, and Peter turned to see his parents slowly moving toward them.

He tried to stand still. He really did.

But his heart and his mind screamed at him to run. So he did.

Right in to their arms.

The three of the held each other tightly until they had sunken to their knees, filled with too much emotion to handle.

"Join us," Peter said to Gamora. She didn't want to, but even the Queen prompted her to join and when she did, the three of them embraced her tightly.

They welcomed her with open arms and thanks for bringing their son home to them, after so many years.

When news of the Prince being returned home hit the rest of the kingdom, they threw a week long party in celebration.

Everything in Peter's life was finally going right.

He was okay now. And no one would ever try to hurt him, ever again.

And he, Gamora, and his family had a happily every after. The kind you'd only ever hear about in fairy tales.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay here's my excuse for this crack!!!
> 
> About a year ago I tried to watch tangled with my friend. I'd only ever heard the songs from the movie, and about 15 minuets in to the movie, I was like "lol fanfic AU with Yondu as the evil mom haha" and then I fell asleep and didn't watch the movie.
> 
> Two days ago I decided to watch it all the way by myself and then the stupid fanfic AU idea came back in to my head and I HAD TO WRITE IT :)
> 
> please comment,,, tell me how this makes you feel
> 
> im so ready to chop both my hands off. I may post fanart later on. I already drew a bunch.


End file.
